Blog

Welcome to 3fires Library!

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 17:10:00 GMT

The 3fires Library has some new computers this year! There are now enough computers for an entire class to come to the library and use computers for research projects.

March Newsletter

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 02:03:00 GMT

Click here to read the 3fires Library March 2010 Newsletter!

New Books: THANK YOU to Ms. Bianchi & Ms. Dowling

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:03:00 GMT

The Three Fires Media Center will be adding some new (FREE!) books to our collection thanks to the "deal" worked out when purchasing our new planners. There are $250.00 worth of new books.
A few of the titles are as follows:

Technology in Times Past: Ancient Egypt by Robert Snedden
Building History: Roman Villa by Gillian Clements
Disease & Disorders: Blindness by Hal Marcovitz
September 11, 2001 by Helga Schier
Kanye West by Laura La Bella

Stop by the library to check out these and other great titles!!

Materials from the Arab American National Museum

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 16:03:00 GMT

We have some new booklets on the Arab World thanks to Janice Freij from the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. Janice was at Three Fires to present at our World Culture Day and donated the following booklets to the library:

Arab Americans: An Integral Part of American Society
The Arab World
Monotheistic Religion

Stop by the library to check them out!

Reading to Learn: EL March 2010 Issue

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 16:03:00 GMT

The March 2010 Issue of Educational Leadership (the ASCD Journal) is all about reading!!

You can read some of the articles online at:

Reading to Learn Issue

You can also read some of the online only articles such at "Teaching Critical Reading with Questioning Strategies" at this link as well.

Chris Van Allsburg in Ann Arbor: April 8

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 13:03:00 GMT

Author Chris Van Allsburg will be presenting at the UM Museum of Art on April 8, 2010.

See: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=264265128865 for details.

Gary Paulsen in Ann Arbor: April 12

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 15:03:00 GMT

Author Gary Paulsen will be at Nicola's Books in Ann Arbor on April 12th for a book signing.

For more information see: http://www.nicolasbooks.com/event/gary-paulsen-author-signing

USB Flash Drives Available for Use

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 21:03:00 GMT

Staff or students can now borrow a 2GB USB Flash Drive from the TFMS Library! Students that need to finish a project at home that requires a computer, can save their files to a Flash Drive, take the Flash Drive home, complete their work, and then return the Flash Drive to the Library.

See Mrs. Lester or Mrs. Hamilton in the Library if you have any questions!

More New Books!

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 20:03:00 GMT

Thanks to everyone who shopped at the Three Fires Spring Book Fair! Thanks to you, the library has added some new books including these new releases and award winners:

	*Fang* by James Patterson The sixth book in the Maximum Ride series.
	*Batboy* by Mike Lupica Another great sports novel by the well-known ESPN sports reporter.
	*Big Nate: In a Class by Himself* by Lincoln Peirce A news series perfect for fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Find out more about the book and comics here.
	*Lone Wolf* by Kathryn Lasky A new fantasy book which is perfect for students who enjoy the Warriors or Seekers series.
	*The Strange Case of Origami Yoda* by Tom Angleberger A funny new book - a mixture of Wayside Stories and Wimpy Kid.
	*The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate* by Jacqueline Kelly A 2010 Newbery Honor book. See more about this wonderful novel here.
	*Chains* by Laurie Halse Anderson A National Book Award Finalist. Read more about this compelling book here.

New Study Shows Boys Lagging Girls in Reading

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 21:03:00 GMT

A study of state test scores to assess student achievement by girls and boys shows that girls are reading better than boys by as much as ten percentage points in some states. Read more about it in this NY Times article by Nicholas D. Kristof. Here is a guide to improve boys' literacy published by the Ontario Department of Education.

Although the issue is complex, everyone agrees that getting boys to read more is part of the solution.

A great resource for recommendations of books that boys enjoy is Jon Scieszka's site: Guys Read.

A link to Guys Read has been added to the Book Lists section of the 3fires Library website.

READ over Spring Break!!

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 16:03:00 GMT

Remember Spring Break is a perfect time to relax & read whether you are travelling or staying at home!! Need a good book recommendation? You can check out the Book Lists link at the 3fires Library website or email Mrs. Lester.

Have a great Spring Break!!

APRIL IS...

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 16:04:00 GMT

April is:

Poetry Month
Check out Poetry Month information at poets.org from the Academy of American Poets.
Also, go the the 3fires Library Learning Links page on Poetry to find some other great poetry resources.

Jazz Appreciation Month
April is also Jazz Appreciation Month. The Smithsonian Jazz site has some information about Jazz Appreciation Month as well as other Jazz resources.

March was also Music in our Schools Month. Thinkfinity has some great Music resources and links.

School Library Month
April is also School Library Month! There'll be a few events in the library after Spring Break to celebrate!

We may celebrate D.E.A.R (Drop Everything and Read) day and Poem in Your Pocket Day which are both in April!

For a list of other Celebrations and Dates in April, click here.

30 Poets, 30 Days (Poetry Month!)

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 13:04:00 GMT

Jacqueline Woodson, Walter Dean Myers, and Kathi Appelt are just some of the writers who’ll take part in 30 Poets/30 Days, a celebration of children's poetry during National Poetry Month.

Every day in April, author Gregory K. Pincus’s GottaBook blog site will feature a previously unpublished poem by a different poet—and it’s completely free and open 24/7.

Pincus says last year’s inaugural 30 Poets/30 Days was such a huge success. All poems from last year are available online, including “I Dreamt I Saw a Dinosaur,” submitted by Mary Ann Hoberman, the Poetry Foundation's current Children's Poet Laureate and a recipient of the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children.

Earth Day: April 22nd

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 18:04:00 GMT

Stop by the Media Center to see the picture "Looking Down Yosemite Valley, California, 1865" by Albert Bierstadt from the Picturing America collection. This picture was chosen for display this month in honor of EARTH DAY which is April 22nd.

You can find some classroom resources from Waste Management and Discovery Education at: Think Green and a Earth Day 40th Anniversary Unit here.

The Three Fires GREEN GROUP is sponsoring an Earth Day Coloring Contest. You can help support the Green Group by purchasing a coloring sheet for 25 cents at lunch or just donating 25 cents. The Three Fires Green Group supports the three R's: REDUCE, RECYCLE, REUSE!

Poem For School Library Month

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 19:04:00 GMT

In the honor of the fact that April is both School Library Month and Poetry Month... check out the wonderful poem My Library by Varda One at:

http://www.librarysupport.net/librarylovers/mylibrary.html.

Japanese Art Exhibit in the Library

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 19:04:00 GMT

As an extension of World Culture Day, there is a guest Cultural Exchange Art Exhibit in the Library for two weeks! This exhibit is a collaboration between St John’s middle and elementary schools and their sister school in Konan City, Japan and contains artwork from both the Japanese and American schools. It is art of everyday living, so it is interesting to see the contrast between Japanese children’s art styles and subjects as opposed to American styles and subjects. Thanks to Mrs. Gut for arranging this exhibit. Please stop by to see it!

April Library Activities!

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 21:04:00 GMT

In honor of April being School Library Month & Poetry Month, the TFMS library is sponsoring the following activities:

Tuesday, April 27th at Lunch
Library Scavenger Hunt
Eat your lunch, play the library game, have snacks, and be eligible to win a prize!

Thursday, April 29th (All Day)
Poem in your Pocket Day
Have 5 lines or more of a poem written by yourself or a favorite author in your pocket. Stop by the Media Center with your Pocket Poem and win a prize!

Successful Poem in your Pocket Day!!

Mon, 03 May 2010 13:05:00 GMT

Over 200 staff and students participated in Poem in your Pocket day!! Thanks to everyone who shared a poem with the library staff! Watch the bulletin board outside of the library; some of the poems will be displayed there soon.

The Library Scavenger Hunt was also a success. Students had a great time following clues that took them around the library and said "Yes" they'd like to do this activity again.

Expect Respect

Mon, 03 May 2010 22:05:00 GMT

The Three Fires Library has new resources for both staff and students to support the anti-bullying program.

The book Class Meetings That Matter is for staff and provides almost an entire year's worth of engaging, age-appropriate, and grade-specific ideas and topics to conduct meaningful class meetings.

The Revealers by Doug Wilhelm is a fiction book for students recommended by Dr. McEvoy. Description: Tired of being bullied and picked on, three seventh-grade outcasts join forces and, using scientific methods and the power of the Internet, begin to create a new atmosphere at Parkland Middle School.

Other recommended fiction books on this topic include:
The Girls by Amy Goldman Koss
Buddha Boy by Kathe Koja
Stargirl by Jerry Spinnelli
Drowning Anna by Sue Mayfield
The Misfits by James Howe

Stop by the Three Fires library if you'd like to take a look at or check out any of these books.

May: Picturing America Poster

Wed, 12 May 2010 14:05:00 GMT

Stop by the library to see this month's featured Picturing America poster Allies Day, May 1917 by Childe Hassam. This patriotic impressionist painting was perfect to help celebrate the upcoming Memorial Day (May 31st) and Flag Day (June 14th).

About the painting: Allies Day, May 1917 is one of about thirty oil paintings that Childe Hassam made of New York City's flag-decked streets during World War I. On 9 and 11 May 1917 the British and French war commissioners paraded down Fifth Avenue, temporarily proclaimed "the Avenue of the Allies," to celebrate the United States' entry into the war.

BEWARE answers.com

Thu, 13 May 2010 18:05:00 GMT

Most students have been cautioned by teachers about using wikipedia as an exclusive source for their research. Wikipedia is a site where any registered member can edit any of the articles. Many of us have heard or read about incidents of incorrect information and “vandalized” articles on wikipedia.

Yet, I see students using sites such as answers.com, yahoo.answers.com, or ask.com for their research. Take a critical look at these sites and you will see that these sites are similar to wikipedia (actually, worse in my opinion, because they do not receive the same level of scrutiny that wikipedia does). Anyone can go to these sites and post questions or answers to questions.

For example, I typed in the question: “What are Hercules symbols?” at answers.com. The answer I was given was last edited by user LukeSkywalker3000. Who is this user and what does he know about Greek Mythology? When I click on his profile, it just says that he is an actor and that he has posted answers to 13 questions. Hmmm… would you trust his answer to this question?

Please do not use answers.com, yahoo.answers.com, and ask.com for your research.

Everyone should learn to critically evaluate the sources of their information. Who or what is the source of the information? Is this a reliable source? Is it an accurate source? Is the information biased or one-sided?

Rule of thumb: NEVER use just one source for information for a research project. Serious research requires at least three sources to verify information. [There are times when wikipedia is useful, but it should never be your only source of information.]

Library Books Due Friday, May 28th

Wed, 26 May 2010 12:05:00 GMT

All library books are due back in the library on this Friday, May 28th! Please return all library books on time.

Summer Reading!

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 21:06:00 GMT

Summer is a great time to relax & read whether you are travelling or staying at home!! Students can help read for the World Record by joining the Scholastic Summer Challenge at www.scholastic.com/summer. At the website you can find great books, discover new authors, chat with other students about books, and log your reading for the World Record. Parents can read more about the program here. You can also check out the Book Lists link at the 3fires Library website or email Mrs. Lester for some reading recommendations.

Summer Reading Makes Front Page News

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 21:06:00 GMT

The front page of the Wednesday, June 9th edition of the Livingston County Press & Argus featured the story "Kids encouraged to read in summer" by Lisa Roose-Church (read the article here). Bravo! It's a great thing to see the benefits of Summer Reading making headline news.

However, this article highlights 4th grade scores and feels geared to encourage summer reading for younger children. However, Middle and High School students should read over the summer too!!! The 2009 National Assessment for Educational Progress (find data here) shows that Michigan 8th graders rank behind 32 other states and 69% of 8th graders are below proficient rating in reading.

So, Middle School students should definitely chose something they enjoy reading and READ this summer!! See the blog post below for suggestions about reading.

Happy 50th Anniversary to "To Kill A Mockingbird"

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 23:07:00 GMT

This past Sunday, July 11th, was the 50th anniversary of the publication of To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. While this is a high school book in Howell, it's one of my favorites and so I just had to say Happy Anniversary here on my Middle School Library blog! This novel is still relevant and endearing to most who read it.

Read USA Today's story about the 50th anniversary here. Also, this month's National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) EDSITEment article highlights To Kill A Mockingbird and includes a list of classic Summertime Favorites.

What are you reading this summer? Email me (Mrs. Lester) and let me know if you have any good recommendations.

Books: Better Than Computers??

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 16:08:00 GMT

A recent study shows that students who were sent home with free books of their choice for the summer had higher reading scores than other students. (Read about it here.) While another study shows that low-income students who were given computers at home had lower academic achievement. (Read about it here). NY Times writers give their opinion on the positive effects of books and reading in these articles: The Medium is the Medium and Summer Must Read for Kids? Any Book. So, find a book, any book, and keep reading this summer!!!

Welcome to 3fires Library 2010!

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:09:00 GMT

Mrs. Lester is looking forward to a great 2010-2011 school year! Welcome back to all returning staff and students and a special welcome to everyone new to Three Fires Middle School! You can find more information about the services provided in the library here. Go to the 3fires Library website: www.3fireslibrary.org to access all of the great online resources the library has to offer.

Three Fires Library Mission:
The mission of the school library media program is to ensure that students and staff are effective users of ideas and information. The school library media specialist empowers students to be critical thinkers, enthusiastic readers, skillful researchers, and ethical users of information.

Three Fires Library on Facebook

Thu, 16 Sep 2010 03:09:00 GMT

Three Fires Middle School Library is now on Facebook. Search for Three Fires Middle School Library on Facebook or go to: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Howell-MI/Three-Fires-Middle-School-Library/159852310694308?ref=ts and press the "Like" button to keep up with library news and events!

New School Year --- New Books!!!

Wed, 22 Sep 2010 03:09:00 GMT

I love new books at the start of the new year! At the Three Fires library, we have some great new books in the following curriculum-related areas:

Rain Forests
Greek Gods/Goddesses
Egypt
Civil War
Holocaust & Tolerance
China's Cultural Revolution
Poetry

I'll highlight those in a future blog post. For now, the library also has some great new high-interest books for student reading. Here are some highlights of those books:

NEW FICTION:

	*Mockingjay* by Suzanne Collins The third book in the Hunger Game series. Who does Katniss choose? Gale or Peta?
	*Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer* by John Grisham A legal thriller for young readers written by the adult bestselling author.
	*Spaceheadz #1* by Jon Scieszka A humorous new series about a middle school student and aliens.
	*Twilight: The Graphic Novel* by Stephenie Meyer Volume 1 of your favorite vampire series in Graphic Novel format.
	*Red Pyramid* by Rick Riordan A new book by the author of the Percy Jackson series. This book features Egyptian mythology rather than Greek.
	*Where the Mountain Meets the Moon* by Grace Lin A 2010 Newbery Honor book. A wonderful story woven with Chinese folklore and adventure.
	*Maze Runner* by James Dashner A suspenseful survival adventure.

More Books - Fall 2010

Mon, 27 Sep 2010 20:09:00 GMT

Take a look at this link for a list of selected new books in the following areas: China's Cultural Revolution, Civil War (Fiction & Non-Fiction), Egypt, Greek Mythology, Historical Fiction, Holocaust & Tolerance, Poetry, Rain Forests, and Miscellaneous.

Library Open Early Tues & Thurs AM

Thu, 30 Sep 2010 17:09:00 GMT

The Three Fires Library will be open at 7:20am on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Students need to stop by the library to get a morning library pass.

Reading Reasons

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 03:10:00 GMT

Why read?? Author Kelly Gallagher in his book, Reading Reasons, lists nine reasons why we should read.

His nine reasons are:

1. Reading is rewarding.
2. Reading builds a mature vocabulary.
3. Reading makes you a better writer.
4. Reading is hard, and "hard" is necessary.
5. Reading makes you smarter.
6. Reading prepares you for the world of work.
7. Reading well is financially rewarding.
8. Reading opens the door to college and beyond.
9. Reading arms you against oppression.

All of these reading reasons have applied to me at various times; however, my favorite reading reasons are that reading is enjoyable (rewarding) and that I can learn by reading (makes me smarter). What are your favorite reading reasons? Can you think of others to add to this list?

Teen Read Activities!

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 03:10:00 GMT

Teen Read activities are underway!!

1) Vote for your favorite book here (or use link at left).

2) Fill out a Book Review Form and turn it into the library to received a prize and be entered into the drawing for a $10.00 gift certificate to shop at the Book Fair!

3) Sign up for our Library Lunchtime Activities -

Thursday, October 21st - Get Real Spooked! (Hear some spooky tales and have some snacks.)

Tuesday, October 26th - Pop Open a Good Book! (Watch "Book Trailers" while eating popcorn.)

Gorgeous View

Thu, 04 Nov 2010 03:11:00 GMT

The other day a sixth-grader told me that Three Fires has "the best library in the state." I have to admit that I am also very partial to our library. Take a look at this photo of the view out of our library window one morning earlier this week. Superb!

I strive to make the Three Fires library a welcoming place for all staff and students and a place that "empowers students to be critical thinkers, enthusiastic readers, skillful researchers, and ethical users of information."

Mistakes vs. Bad Choices

Mon, 08 Nov 2010 11:11:00 GMT

I had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Adolph Brown speak at the NCA School Improvement Conference last week. Dr. Brown had a lot of great things to say about building relationships with students. He also pointed out that middle school students are old enough to know and be taught the difference between mistakes and bad choices. I agree! A mistake is genuinely an error or misunderstanding. For instance, I make a few errors on my math homework because I misunderstood the concept. This is a mistake. However, I don't do my math homework at all. This is a bad choice. What do you think?

BOOK FAIR!!

Wed, 10 Nov 2010 02:11:00 GMT

The TFMS Fall Book Fair runs from Wednesday, Nov 10th to Tuesday, Nov 16th and will be open during each school day 7:40am to 3:20pm. The Book Fair will also be open during Student-Led Conferences on Wednesday, Nov 10th from 4:30pm to 7:30pm and on Tuesday, Nov 16th from 4:30pm to 7:30pm.

The new Wimpy Kid book has arrived and a special paperback version of the book is available only at the Book Fair! Stop by the library to see this and the great selection of other books! Shop and support the TFMS library.

You can check out a few more details about the Book Fair here: http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bookfairs/cptoolkit/publish/3fires

Giving Thanks for Books & Libraries!

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 18:11:00 GMT

Happy Thanksgiving to all!! The winning entry in the 19th annual Detroit Thanksgiving Day Parade Float Design contest features a LIBRARY! The winning design by 13-year old Za'Cyrus Gaiter of Detroit is a drawing of his "Dream Neighborhood." Front and center in this neighborhood is the library (the red building in this picture with the sign "Read All About It.") You can read more about the float in the Detroit Free Press Article here.

My best wishes for a great holiday with time to relax and read!

Thank You Book Fair Customers!

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 03:11:00 GMT

Thank you to everyone who supported the Three Fires Book Fair! The new Wimpy Kid book: The Ugly Truth was the top seller. The picture to the left is the Wimpy Kid Balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. Greg has certainly become a celebrity!

Thanks to the generosity of all those who visited the Book Fair, the Three Fires Library was able to add several books to the library collection including several copies of the new Wimpy Kid Book, the new Guinness Book of World Records 2011, the new book in the Gallagher series: Only the Good Spy Young, a new Gary Paulsen book: Woods Runner, the third Maximum Ride graphic novel, and many more! Stop by the library to check out the new books! Also, look for more details about the new books in an upcoming blog post.

Matching Readers to Text

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 23:12:00 GMT

We need to look at more than just lexile scores when matching students with books or articles. The new Common Core Standards for English Language Arts include a three-part model for text complexity. Thus, in order to match a book with a reader, three factors should be taken into account:

1) Qualitative evaluation of the text: Levels of meaning, structure, language conventionality and clarity, and knowledge demands. [This may include the theme, setting, or content maturity.]

2) Quantitative evaluation of the text: Readability measures and other scores of text complexity. [This would be a measure like the lexile score.]

3) Matching reader to text and task: Reader variables (such as motivation, knowledge, and experiences) and task variables (such as purpose and the complexity generated by the task assigned and the questions posed). [This would include a student's background or prior knowledge among other things.]

More detailed information about text complexity and how it is measured can be found in Appendix A of the English Language Arts Standards: http://www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_A.pdf.

The Common Core Standards for Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects can be found here: http://www.corestandards.org/assets/CCSSI_ELA%20Standards.pdf.

Reading Reasons: Financially Rewarding

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 20:12:00 GMT

Last week, ChannelOne News did a story about a Chicago school that was fighting against student "drop outs". At the ChannelOne website: http://www.channelone.com/news/dropouts/, you can find out how much that diploma is really worth. Use their online calculator to track the real-world cost of dropping out.

This reminds me of Reading Reason #7: Reading well is financially rewarding. (See blog post from 10/12/2010). Research shows that if you read well, you do better in school and can get a better job. So, keep reading and stay in school!!

New Books

Fri, 17 Dec 2010 16:12:00 GMT

Thanks again to book fair shoppers! Due to their generosity, we were able to add new books to the library including some books in the following categories:

series or popular authors,
high-interest non-fiction
scary
"Around the World"
historical fiction
realistic fiction

The books from series or popular authors include:
(Books from other categories will be highlighted in future blogs).
Hero by Mike Lupica
Mike Lupica is a popular sportswriter and his books like Travel Team are usually about sports. However, Hero is about a boy with super powers!

Heist Society by Ally Carter
Ally Carter is the author of the Gallagher Series. Heist Society is an adventure/mystery about a daughter of notorious thieves who has to steal back a set of paintings that belong to a mobster.

Football Hero by Tim Green
Tim Green is an ex-football player who writes great sports novels!

Heart to Heart by Lurlene McDaniel
Lurlene McDaniel is know for her emotional & inspirational novels. This book tells about the friendship of a teenaged girl, her best friend, her best friend's boyfriend, and a young heart transplant recipient.

Sabotaged by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Sabotaged is the third book in the series: Missing.

Big Nate Strikes Again by Lincoln Pierce
This is the second book in the Big Nate series.

Scumble by Ingrid Law
This is the follow up to the Newbery honor book Saavy. Both books are rollicking adventures with both heart and humor.

Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld
This is the sequel to the "steam-punk" novel Leviathan.

Maximum Ride: Graphic Novel, Vol. 3
The third volume in the Graphic Novel version of Jame's Patterson's best-selling Maximum Ride series.

Bone: Tall Tales by Jeff Smith
Another book in the graphic novel series Bone.

Read Your World

Mon, 03 Jan 2011 20:01:00 GMT

There are some fantastic books with settings and characters from countries around the world! Learn about other cultures in a fun and interesting way by reading. There is a list of books listed by continent and country at the Three Fires Library Booklist Webpage. Find it here. You can also see a short description of all the books here.

Some of these books are new thanks to Book Fair customers. They include:

Crispin End of Time by Avi

Keeper of the Grail by Michael Bradlin

Alchemy & Meggy Swann by Karen Cushman

Pale Assassin by Patricia Elliot

Million Shades of Gray by Cynthia Kadohata

A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park

Lexile Level Available in 3Fires Library Catalog

Sun, 23 Jan 2011 11:01:00 GMT

Are you looking for a Lexile Level for a particular book that you've checked out from the Three Fires Library? Or want to find books in a particular Lexile Level Range to read? You can use the Three Fires Library Catalog!

You can find the Library Catalog Icon (Three Fires Patron) on any computer at Three Fires. Double-click the icon and open the catalog. If searching for the level of a particular book, just type in the name of the book in the bar below "Search for:" and then open up the information for the book (by double-clicking on the title name). If the Lexile Level exists, it will be listed along with the other information of the book under the heading "Reading Program".

If searching for books in a Lexile Range, click on the "Expanded Search" Tab. Then in the pull down, select "Reading Program", then type in -- Lexile-nnn-mmm , where nnn and mmm are the particular values of lexile that you are looking for.

Questions? Ask Mrs. Lester. She's always available to give you a quick demo of how this works!

NEW! Online Book Fair

Sat, 26 Feb 2011 15:02:00 GMT

New This Spring! Shop at the Online Book Fair for books - with FREE shipping to our school. Our school earns profit from all online purchases and you get a chance to shop for books not available at our In-School Book Fair including books for younger siblings. Friends and family who are not able to come to the Three Fires In-School Book Fair can also shop online. Shop at the Online Book Fair from February 26 - March 7 at http://scholastic.com/schoolbookfairs. Help spread the word in order to support and spread the love of reading at our school!!

The In-School Book Fair will be open this week from Monday, February 28th through Friday, March 4th. All students will get a chance to visit the Book Fair at some point during the week with their ELA classes. Parents can also stop by and shop! The Book Fair will be open all week during normal school day hours. Get more information and a sneak peak of featured books at: http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/3fires.

If you have questions, please don't hesitate to contact Mrs. Lester, School Librarian at 517-540-8395 or email her at lesterk@howellschools.com.

READ over Spring Break!

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 16:03:00 GMT

Remember Spring Break is a perfect time to relax & read whether you are travelling or staying at home!! Need a good book recommendation? You can check out the Book Lists link at the 3fires Library website or email Mrs. Lester.

Have a great Spring Break!!

Summer Reading: Four or More!

Wed, 11 May 2011 13:05:00 GMT

Future Parker Middle School Students ---

READ this Summer!!

Studies show that students who read four or more age-appropriate books over the summer do better on reading tests in the fall.

Join the new Parker Middle School Summer Challenge! Read four books over the summer, fill out a form (which you can find here), bring the form to the Parker Library in the Fall, and receive a PRIZE!!!

Choose books that you want to read!

Need ideas for books to read? Check out the Book Lists at the Three Fires Library webpage.

The Howell Carnegie Library (or other public library) is a great place to go to stock up on summer reading material. The Howell Carnegie Library will be running a great summer reading program for students!

Also, you can see what Mrs. Lester is reading this summer or comment & blog about what you are reading RIGHT HERE at this Library Blog!

Please only use your FIRST NAME in comments/posts! The email address you include won't be shown on the site. Be patient... Mrs. Lester has to approve all posts!!

Summer Read #1: Cosmic

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 16:06:00 GMT

Throughout the summer, I'll blog about what I've been reading. The first book, Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Bryce, is "out of this world." Its theme-park ride emphasis makes it a great summer read! Read my comments about it at the Parker Book Blog.

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer & reading some great books!

Summer Read #2: The Tail of Emily Windsnap

Sat, 25 Jun 2011 16:06:00 GMT

A tale about a mermaid (and swimming!) -- The Tail of Emily Windsnap is a perfect, light summer read! Read my comments about it at the Parker Book Blog!

Summer Read #3: Baseball Great

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 14:07:00 GMT

Summer and baseball - two things that go together perfectly! So, summer is a great time to read the fast-paced novel Baseball Great. Read my comments about it at the Parker Book Blog.

Summer Read #4: Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 20:07:00 GMT

The last Harry Potter movie - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part II comes out this Friday! So, I just had to add this book to my list of Summer 2011 reads. Read my comments about the book at the Parker Book Blog. I'm really looking forward to seeing the movie soon. How about you?

Summer Read #5: One Crazy Summer

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 13:07:00 GMT

One Crazy Summer is a book about three young girls' summer trip - a perfect read for the summer! Read my comments about the book at the Parker Book Blog.

Jeff Kinney: Let Students Read What they Enjoy!

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 13:07:00 GMT

Jeff Kinney, author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kids series, recently wrote an article for Time Magazine. Find it here. In the article, he talks about how kids ideas of a "classic" may differ from those of adults. I agree -- and I want students to read, read, read. Choose something you like - whether it is a magazine about video games, a non-fiction book about sharks, or a novel - and read!! :-) Email me or comment here about what types of reading you enjoy.

Summer Read #6: The Lost Hero

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 13:07:00 GMT

What's summer without a rip-roaring adventure read? The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan, the first book in a new series about modern day Greek Gods and Half-Bloods, is great! Read my comments about it at the Parker Book Blog.

Summer Read #7: The Strange Case of Origami Yoda

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 02:08:00 GMT

The setting for The Strange Case of Origami Yoda is a school during the school year. Yet, I think it is still a great SUMMER read because it is such a fun, enjoyable book! Read my comments about it at the Parker Book Blog.

Parker MS Library - Getting Ready!

Sat, 27 Aug 2011 12:08:00 GMT

I apologize that I haven't been blogging lately (although I haven't stopped reading!). I've been really busy unpacking and setting up the library at Parker. I'm very excited about welcoming all the Parker Middle School students and staff to the library. I know that the new library will be a great place to fulfill the mission of the library (see below). I'm looking forward to welcoming back Three Fires students who will be coming to Parker as well as meeting all of the students new to Parker. See you soon!

Parker Library Mission
The mission of the school library media program is to ensure that students and staff are effective users of ideas and information. The school library media specialist empowers students to be critical thinkers, enthusiastic readers, skillful researchers, and ethical users of information.

Welcome to the New Parker Library!!

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 18:09:00 GMT

The Parker Library is ready to welcome staff and students on the first day of school! Our library at Parker is more than just the physical space and the print resources housed there. The library includes many electronic resources that can be accessed through the library website. Check it out at http://parkerlib.info.

You'll notice that the new website has links to our new library catalog. This catalog is now available on the Internet. The catalog includes book cover images and has other great new features as well.

Students, if you read 4 or more this summer, bring in your form and stop by the Parke Library; Mrs. Lester will have a special prize for you.

Looking forward to a great new school year of reading, researching, thinking, and learning!

Mrs. Lester

Busy Start to New School Year!

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 03:09:00 GMT

The Parker Library and Labs have been extremely busy! The new library software catalog is up and running and as of today (Wed, 9/15), 25 ELA classes have attended a library orientation, and students have checked out over 900 items (books & magazines) from the library!!! Way to go Parker Patriots! Keep READING!!!

MeL - Resources Updated Oct 1st!

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 03:10:00 GMT

The Library of Michigan updated the set of great resources that it makes available for free to all Michigan residents,schools, libraries as of October 1st, 2011.

Staff, students, and parents can access these high quality resources at the Parker Library website, parkerlib.info, at the Research Center page. There are also links to many of the great MeL resources at each of the Learning Links list of resources.

Highlights of the resources include:

CultureGramsOnline provides fantastic information on World Countries, Canadian Provinces,US States... there is also a Kids Edition (Elementary & Middle School use)
GaleVirtual Reference Library provides high quality reference ebooks. (Lots of new titles added as of October 1st).
SIRSDiscoverer & Gale General Onefile allow users to search for periodical articles by Lexile level.
LearningExpress Library has free ACT, SAT online prep courses and practice tests, math and reading skills resources, and more.

If you have any questions or need assistance with accessing these resources, you can contact via email: lesterk@howellschools.com or by phone at 517-552-4600 xt87550.

READ Every Day - Lead a Better Life

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 00:10:00 GMT

Reading EMPOWERS Us!

To see why - watch this great video produced by Scholastic:

Parents: Take the READING PLEDGE by:
> Helping your student get ACCESS to great books to read. [Encourage them to use the Parker Library!]
> Allow your student to CHOOSE what he/she wants to read.
> Get INVOLVED with reading and help your student to find at least 15
minutes to read every day.

Print out and use the Reading Pledge Bookmark.

Happy New Year! - New Books

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:01:00 GMT

Happy New Year!! My "reading resolution" is to read 100 books this year. How about you? I just finished reading War Horse by Michael Morpurgo (..and then I also saw the movie) and I am currently reading Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan.

The Parker Library has LOTS of new books! Come check them out.

In particular, the library has added several High Interest books for reluctant readers using money from a MAMSE (Michigan Association for Middle School Educators) grant. The list of books can be found as a Public List in the Resource Lists of the Parker Library Online Catalog (at this link: http://libraries.resa.net/cataloging/servlet/presentbooklistform.do?listID=318642). Ask Mrs. Lester of Mrs. Hamilton if you'd like to take a look at any of these books.